The dancer and the monster
by Medea678
Summary: Being a gypsy in Ylisstol is hard. Especially for Inigo, a street dancer who finds himself trapped in the Cathedral. As he tries to find a way out, he comes across a peculiar character, a strange plot against the princess and a few secrets about his past. Gerome x Inigo. Rated M mostly for violence.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire emblem, its characters or any other element of it used in this story.**

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Ylisstol was quite dirty in its streets. People and chariots constantly went from one side to the other, making the earth from the floor fly around like a big mist. It was no wonder people talk about how sometimes it was impossible to even breathe in the city. But that didn't stop Inigo. He was now there, on the streets full of dirt, dancing.

He couldn't let himself become aware of how many people were looking at him or he would start failing. However, from time to time, he discreetly looked and the bag he had left on the floor for the crowd to throw coins in. And judging by the number of coins he saw, he ought to be pleasing a good number of people. But he didn't let his mind wander off for that. He was now doing what he loved as he twirled, span and made the lace attached to the rings in his hands fly around him. He repeated each step as his mother had taught him. He knew them forwards and backwards, so as long as he was concentrated, he couldn't miss them. He was reaching his limit as he got closer to the ending. He then jumped backwards and landed on his foot, letting go of the lace and leaving it to fall on his arms.

As soon as he finished, he began to hear the clapping and cheering of his audience. He had actually gotten a good number of people to watch him to the end this time. Trying not to look embarrassed, he made a small reverence, as people leaved, as a sign of gratitude. _Mother used to say you should always thank the audience at the end, even if you're too shy to just say 'thank you'_, he thought as he went to retrieve the bag he had left. It had been a long day, but it was worth it for he had managed to get a lot. _Maybe I could buy some new shoes. It's getting really painful to dance barefooted. _

"Hey, you!" yelled a woman's voice at him. When he looked, he saw a group of five guards coming towards. When they stopped, the one who had spoken stepped forward. "It's past the curfew, gipsy. You're not allowed to be on the streets now." If not for her voice, Inigo could not possibly tell she was a woman. Not only her looks, but she was even taller than most of the men beside her!

"I'm really sorry, my lady. I was just going on my way." He said smiling. Maybe his charms could get him out of this one.

"It's ma'am to you." Or maybe not. "What you have there?" she asked, pointing at the bag.

"This?" Inigo didn't like where this was going. "It's just the money I made today."

"So you were 'working' even after the curfew." She said as a smile started to appear on her face. "And how do I even know that you didn't steal it?"

"WHAT?!" Inigo yelled. He was really starting to feel scared of the situation. "How can you say that? You saw me dancing and the people giving me money, didn't you?!"

"I didn't see them." she said with her face completely calm. "Did you guys saw this people?" she asked to the men behind her. Obviously, they shook their heads. "So we have a possible thief here who just admitted to have worked after the curfew." As she said this, she started to approach him. Her men, on the other hand, were making a circle around them. "I think you should accompany us to the palace until we can… clear all of this. Don't you?"

When she tried to reach him with her hand, Inigo threw earth at one of the guards, blinding him for a moment. Before they could react, Inigo knocked down the guard and ran for the street faster than a deer. He had to stop as he found chariots moving at full speed in front of him, but he could hear their footsteps and voices getting closer every second. He took a deep breath and lunged himself into the street. He dodged each one of them, but couldn't avoid losing his lace as it got struck in a wheel. _There goes a whole month of savings_. As he got out, he looked back and saw that his pursuers where not far behind. The woman had manage with a scream to make all the traffic stop. So Inigo again took off running as he decided where to go. He was too far from the camp and, even if he outran these guys, he would just get deeper into the city. That would mean running into even more guards. _There's only one place I can go now_, he thought as he took a turn into an alley.

No matter how many turns he had taken, the woman's voice never seemed to get father away, as she didn't waste a minute without telling him how much he would regret escaping. Finally, Inigo came out to his destiny: the Cathedral of Ylisstol. He had seen it many times from afar, but it was the first time that he actually stood in the Cathedral's square. He didn't have any time to appreciate the building anyway, as he rushed faster than ever towards the doors which were getting closed by a young priest. "Please, don't close!" he yelled. The priest just then looked at him with a curious look. "Sanctuary!" yelled Inigo. The priest then stood aside and let him enter, closing the doors behind him.

As Inigo entered the great hall, he could not help but to feel all the exhaustion reach his body. His legs were tired from dancing all day and he had to sum the running too. Before he could react, they got limp and he fell to the ground. The priest was able to catch him before he hit it, but, just then, the doors busted open.

"Had him over!" yelled the woman.

The priest just looked at her without any hint of fear. "Can't do it, Kjelle. He just asked for sanctuary." Only then Inigo noticed the strange looks the man had, especially for a priest. He had a rather hard face with a scar at the side nevertheless and his tone had been anything but polite. Not to mention the orange hair, but, as Inigo's hair was blue, he couldn't really said anything about it.

"The Cathedral should have been closed by the time he reached it. Now stand aside, Brady, or I will take him by force." said the woman, apparently named Kjelle, as she approached them with a fierce look. Inigo then felt how Brady's hand was twitching and realized he was no match for her.

"I don't remember to have instructed the guards to show such a lack of honor in a holy place, captain Kjelle." said another voice. As Inigo looked to where it came from, he saw two persons coming towards them. One looked like a young man in his twenties, with short black hair, who wore a guard's armor with the addition of a cape that flung behind him. The other looked like a beautiful woman with long blond hair, but, as she approached, Inigo noticed that she was wearing a priest robe; so she was definitely a he. _I met a woman who looks like a man and a man who looks like a woman, all the same day_, Inigo thought. But he had to admit that this priest was much more… "priestlike" than the other. While he didn't look old, he gave the feeling of a much wiser and older person than anyone in the room. And there was also this air around him that seemed to transmit peace as he walked to them.

"Commander Owain, bishop Libra," began to say Kjelle and Inigo noticed respect in her voice. "this is a gypsy fugitive. He was out after the curfew and even attempted to escape when we approached him. He clearly…"

"He asked for the holy right of sanctuary which if his eminence, Bishop Libra, wants to grant him, you shall obey." said this man, Owain. While Inigo was glad that he was defending him, he couldn't help but find his speaking antics weird.

The other man (who, Inigo guessed, should be Bishop Libra) started at him with his deep blue eyes. Inigo first felt tense, but soon he relaxed under his stare, to which the man smiled before looking back to Owain. "I will grant it, captain. This seems like a nice boy."

Kjelle looked completely vexed. "Alright, but as soon as I see him outside, I will take him to the palace to answer for his crimes." After that she said goodbye to both the commander and the bishop, absolutely ignoring Brady and Inigo.

"I can't believe how awfully serious she takes her job." said Inigo when she left.

"That might be truth, but ya got yourself in this on ya own!" Brady told him, completely stunning Inigo. What kind of priest talked like that? "Ya know about the curfew, so why did ya ignore it?"

"I can't help it! Whenever I dance I lost track of time!" said Inigo.

"Dance?" asked both Owain and Brady.

"Yes…" said Inigo, realizing what he had said and getting quite bashful about it. "I work as… a street dancer." It didn't take much of a second for the two men to start laughing their asses off, while Inigo deeply wished for the earth to swallow him.

"I don't think is very well-educated on the part of you two to laugh like that about someone else's job." said bishop Libra. The two men quickly stopped. Inigo couldn't help but notice that while the blond man was calm and smiling when he said that, there was something downright intimidating about his smile. He then approached Inigo and gave him a hand to help him get up. "Forgive these two. As you have heard I' m bishop Libra and I'm in charge of the Cathedral. These two men are father Brady, my assistant, and commander Owain, from the guard of the city. What's your name, boy?"

"I'm…Inigo. A dancer, but…I just told you that." He said, shyly.

"No need to be shy about It." the bishop said, smiling. "There´s quite some people staying in the Cathedral, so I think your dancing might bring them some entertainment."

"I would love to…" Inigo said, trying to remember how to talk more politely. "but I can't stay here too long. I would leave tomorrow."

"That's impossible." said Owain. "Didn't you hear Kjelle? She would have you catch as soon as she sees you out of here. And, knowing her, she would have every exit of the Cathedral guarded all day."

"Look, the kid didn't do anything really." told him Brady. "Can't you just tell to leave him alone?"

"She has enough against him to continue pursuing him." said Owain, looking quite stressed about it. "And, even if I did order her that, she would go to the chancellor and he would most likely give her permission to continue."

"In other words, ya're useless."

"Oww! You deeply wound me, my dear friend, with your ice-cold words! They are like daggers ripping through my soul!" said Owain, accompanying those words with a theatrical movement of his hands_. Is this guy really the commander of the city guard?_, thought Inigo.

"Is getting late, Brady." said bishop Libra. "Why don't you show our new guest his room?"

"Actually, if you don't mind," said Inigo. "could I take a look around the Cathedral? I have never been here before."

Libra just smiled at him. "Of course. I would gladly give you a tour myself or have Brady give you one, but I need him to finish some paperwork in my office. Whenever you want to go to rest, just ask anyone for the refugee's chamber."

"Thank you, I will." said Inigo, finally feeling more at ease around these people.

"Ah! But don't wander off too much!" said Libra suddenly. "Dinner should be ready soon. Speaking of which, Brady, would you mind going to the kitchen and ask Sumia to set another plate tonight?"

"Right away, bishop."

"Then I shall bid farewell for now." began to say Owain. "I would gladly escort you, but my duties now will take our steps trough different paths that-…"

"Yeah, yeah. Tell Lucina I said hi." said Brady, leaving the black-haired man in the middle of his speech. After that, a very depressed looking Owain said good-bye to both Libra and Inigo before leaving.

"They are quite a pair, those two. Aren't they?" said the bishop laughing a bit. Inigo laughed too, though not sure of how much the other man meant by that.

After Libra gave some indications of the different parts of the Cathedral, Inigo was finally let alone for a while. As he walked, he was not paying attention to the decorations around him, the beautiful images on the walls or even the cold floor on his naked feet. He wondered what will be everyone's reaction when he'll get back. Severa'll probably call him an idiot for having forgotten about the curfew and a weak for not being able to outsmart the guards. Flavia will not have much to say as long as he brings the money back. And Basilio'll laugh when he heard he got chased down by a woman. He wondered whatever they'll notice him gone. They had all been working hard the past few days to make money to buy the things they needed for the "Festival of Fools".

_Now that gives me an idea_, he thought. The festival will be in a few days and, during it, the guards will too busy guarding princess Lucina to be concerned with him. He could try to sneak up from the Cathedral. Once inside the festival, he'll melt with the crowd and join the others. Once with them, they'll get him back to the camp. _As expected from me, it's a fool's proof plan._

Just as he thought that, he heard the sound of something falling behind him. When he turned, he saw bits of rocks falling from one of the upper floors of the Cathedral and managed to see a shadowy figure dressed in black getting out of his sight as swiftly as possible. He got to see it however taking some stairs to the highest part of the building. Full of curiosity, Inigo looked around until he found some stairs that went up. Soon he was climbing them at full speed, completely forgetting about his earlier fatigue. His body nevertheless was kind enough to remind him and he quickly found himself mostly crawling his way up. When he got to the floor where he had seen the figure, he went to the stairs it had taken. As he stated to climb them, he noticed how dark they got as he got higher. Less and less torches where pin to the wall to enlighten his way up, so he soon had to put a hand to the wall in order to orient himself. This was a spiral staircase that only seemed to go up, without connecting with other rooms. He was afraid that maybe it will take him to a locked door and that all his exercise climbing will have been in vain. But at the end of it, he found a dead-end with a wood ladder. _Well, I guess Naga really wants to see me climbing today._

When he got out of there, he finally got a look to where he had come: an enormous room, with wood floor and gigantic windows on all four sides. Through the one in front of him, he could see the sun setting and coloring the sky orange. As he looked up, he saw several wood floors connected by ladders that went all the way up to the ceiling of the tower where a gigantic golden bell stood. _Guess this must be the bell tower._

However, other things called his attention. Like the table and chair that stood on the side of the room; and the chest that was in another one; and the bed that stood in the other. All this indicated that someone definitely lived there, but it was obvious that, whoever it was, he didn't like company. _But he definitely took those stairs, so he couldn't have gone anywhere else_, thought as he tried to see if there was someone else in the room. He tried looking up to the other floors, but they were so dark that he couldn't make out anything.

He then heard a high "EEEK!" coming from behind him which also made him squeal and jump. He turned to see a small woman with long grey hair dressed in a white dress. She looked quite anxious about having found him there and, Inigo noticed, carried a tray with food.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" quickly said Inigo. "I just arrived here and I thought I saw someone coming here… so I got curious and I…"

"Oh! It's alright! I should be the one apologizing!" said the woman. "You must be Indigo, right? The new boy? I'm Sumia."

"Actually it's Inigo. It's the same, but without the d." he said laughing a bit nervously. It wasn't the first time someone got his name wrong.

"My bad." she as she went and leaved the tray of food in the table. "Well, come with me, Inigo. Dinner is getting served and, with the day you had according to Brady, I'm sure you'll be hungry."

He was, though his body felt more tired than hungry and his mind was even more curious about the tower. As the woman started to guide him again back to the low floors, she suddenly tripped and went all the way down stairs falling. Inigo screamed and ran after her and found her face down where he had first seen the strange figure.

"Are you all right?! Should I call somebody?!" he asked while helping her to get up.

"Oh! It's alright! Really!" she said, facing him with a smile. Her forehead was all red, but, apart from that, there were no signs of pain in her. "This happens to me all the time, so don't worry!"

Inigo was still pretty shocked, but, as he accompanied her, he saw her trip at least three more times. Even with this, he couldn't help but feeling his heart jump each time this happened.

"Inigo, could I ask you for something?" she said, stopping right before the door which, Inigo guessed, went to the dining room.

"Yes?"

"Don't tell anyone about the tower." Inigo wanted to ask more, but Sumia simply opened the door without waiting for his response and went inside. He simply followed her.

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**A/N: So, yeah, have a wild guess about what this is base on.**

**Not obvious yet? Wait until the next chapter.**

**Reviews of any kind are always appreciated here, specially if they concern grammar and such as I'm not a native english speaker!**

**Thanks a lot for reading!**


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